Why We Have Started Fasting Every Day
For years we’ve been told that, to develop that fat free, muscular, athletic body we need to be eating every 3 hours. So, why on earth would we want to start fasting, let alone do it every day? Because it works – whether you are wanting to lose fat, build muscle or do both! Let’s find out why.
What is Fasting?
A fast is a planned abstinence from food. It’s organised and has a defined end point. The most popular version is what’s called the Lean gains protocol. It involves a 16 hour fast, followed by an 8-hour eating window every 24 hours. During the 16 hours, you do not consume any calories at all. Then, during the eight-hour feeding period, you eat as you normally would. You do not try to ‘make up’ for the lost hours of eating by shovelling in more calories during this period.
Most people start their fast an hour or two before bedtime. So, if you started at 7pm, you would fast through the night and through until 11am the following day. You then consume two or three meals between 11am and 7pm.
Why Fast?
1. Fat Loss
The most obvious benefit of intermittent fasting is getting lean without feeling like you’re ever only nibbling on the tiniest of meals. Fasting for a period of the day allows subsequent meals to be larger, more calorie dense and more satisfying. By having less frequent but larger meals, the greater gastric distension leads to positive nervous feedback to the brain. This promotes a stronger sense of fullness and satisfaction.
Any time there is no food available and the body is in a fasting state, stored fatty acids become the main contributing fuel for our cells. Intermittent fasting will also lower your daily caloric intake, putting you in the negative caloric balance that leads to fat loss.
2. Muscle Gain
Growth hormone, also known as somatotropin, is a protein hormone. It is released by somatropin cells located in the anterior pituitary gland. Growth hormone is an important component of human development, making it vital for the muscle building process. It is also an important fat burning hormone. Just check out what optimised levels of growth hormone can do for your body:
Increased muscle strength
Enhanced fracture healing
Boosted weight loss
Increased bone strength
Lowered risk of cardiovascular disease
Enhanced virility
Improved cognitive functioning
Better sleep
When you have high levels of glucose in your blood, the pancreas releases a chemical called somatostatin. It has the effect of suppressing the production of human growth hormone. So, the more times that you eat through your day, the less growth hormone you will release into your body. The opposite is also true – the fewer times you eat, the more growth hormone your body will produce.
Over to You
Intermittent fasting works for me. It also fits my lifestyle. Its benefits are beyond doubt. If you are after fat loss, muscle gain or a combination of the two, it will work for you, too. Whether it fits your lifestyle and your temperament is the only question. To find out, why not give it a try?
